Professional Review of Resettlement Policies for Internally Displaced Persons in Plateau State

Internally displaced persons in Plateau State, the consequence of recurring farmer-herder conflicts and intercommunal violence, represent a population whose resettlement rights, social reintegration needs, and livelihood restoration require coherent policy frameworks that are frequently absent or inadequately implemented. This study professionally reviews resettlement policies for internally displaced persons in Plateau State, North Central Nigeria. A professional policy evaluation methodology was employed, combining document analysis of Plateau State IDP response frameworks and NEMA policy provisions, structured interviews with thirty-five government resettlement officials, civil society representatives, and humanitarian actors, and group discussions with sixty IDP household representatives across three formal and informal settlements in Jos and Barkin Ladi. The Brookings-Bern Framework on Internal Displacement was applied as the evaluative benchmark. Results indicate that voluntary return was the dominant resettlement pathway, with durable alternative settlement solutions offered to only 14% of displaced households seeking non-return options. Returns to conflict communities were frequently premature, with 43% of returnees experiencing secondary displacement within twelve months due to unresolved security conditions. Livelihood support in return areas was systematically absent from resettlement packages. IDP community participation in return decision-making was rated as minimal by 78% of interviewed IDP representatives. Documentation and civil registration of displaced persons was incomplete, creating barriers to accessing social services. Recommendations include adoption of a formal Plateau State IDP Policy aligned with the Kampala Convention, mandatory security assessment before facilitated returns, and integration of livelihood packages as a non-negotiable resettlement component. Keywords: internally displaced persons, resettlement policy, Plateau State, conflict displacement, humanitarian response.